The Legend of Zelda and the Hero of Time
by the ultimate SoBe Master
Summary: My version of The Ocarina of Time. Please R&R!
1. The Great Deku Tree's Crisis

Ch. 1

The Great Deku Tree's Crisis

"...Long has the Forest been a barrier to outsiders and a source of balance to the world. But against this new evil, even I am not strong enough. I think it is high time the boy without a fairy to begin his journey..."

- The Great Deku Tree of Kokiri Forest

In a home carved out of a tall tree in Kokiri Forest - home to a race of childlike beings that never grow old - lives a boy named Link. He has golden hair - two locks hanging from his forehead and the rest short and slicked back - and deep blue eyes. He wore a green tunic with a hat to match and brown leather boots. He was lying upon a wooden bed carved from the trunk of the tree. He was asleep, for it was the middle of the night. He shivered and rolled over on his side, as he was having the same nightmare he had been having for quite some time now...

Link looked upon a great stone wall. The middle, however, was made of solid wood with metal plating in the form of riveted bars running diagonally across it. On either side of this portion of the wall was a flaming torch.

It began to rain, and the torches smoldered and doused. Thunder boomed across the land. A great field with his forest home off on the horizon. How he had reached this place alone he did not know. Lightning lit up the sky, accompanying the thunder.

Suddenly, the wooden portion of the wall lowered. A drawbridge. Galloping across it and past Link was a gleaming white horse carrying a small, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl and an older woman with white hair and gray eyes. The girl glanced back at Link for a moment with sorrowful eyes, and then stared forward again as they disappeared into the distance.

He then heard the sound of a halting horse behind him. He spun around. What he saw frightened him. Before him was a midnight black horse with the blackest eyes he had ever seen on a beast of the sort. It was majestic, yet a dark and vicious air encircled it.

Sitting atop the horse was a tall, pale-skinned evil man with slicked back, orange hair, cunning yellow eyes, and a wicked grin. A large, crimson jewel clung to the center of his forehead. Link also noticed a dagger sheathed on the side of his shin. Dark, armored clothing covered his body and a black cape hung loosely from his shoulders. He laughed wickedly. "Did you see a white horse pass by here?" he asked. Link remained silent, shaking in fear. "Which way did they go?" asked the fiend.

"I...I don't know!" answered Link.

"You lie!" spat the man. "Step aside, Boy, and let me pass!" Link remained frozen in his tracks. "Not going to move, eh? Then I shall do it for you!" He held out his open hand. A white orb of energy formed in it. A moment later, the orb shot at Link, erupting in a bright flash as it collided with him. Link cried out in pain as he fell to the ground. The man cackled malevolently as he galloped off into the distance.

Link awoke with a start, sitting up straight. His face was pale and he was breathing heavily. His hands were shaking violently and beads of cold sweat ran down his face. A few moments later, he lied back down, rolled over, and fell back asleep, shivering more.

Meanwhile, sometime later in the Deku Tree's Meadow, Navi the fairy - a bright, violet-colored orb of light with little wings - was meeting with the Great Deku Tree, watcher over the Kokiri people. "You called me, oh Great Deku Tree?" asked Navi.

"Navi the fairy...thy hast grown weak...cursed I have been... My end draws near..." said the Deku Tree. Navi was practically in tears, as the Deku Tree was her one and only friend. "A terrible evil threatens the land of Hyrule... I fear it could spell doom for Hyrule if tis not stopped... Navi the fairy...I believe tis time for the boy without a fairy to begin his journey..." The Deku Tree paused, then said, "Now go! Go to the boy and bring him to me,"

"I shall do my best!" said Navi. She then headed for the village.

Upon entering the village - Kokiri Village to be exact - she began her search. "Should be easy enough to find him, right?" she said to herself. "Oh, who am I kidding?! I haven't a clue as to where this boy lives!" She then spotted a Kokiri girl with stunning orange hair sitting on top of the Kokiri shop. "Hey you!" Navi called over to her.

"Hey, you're a lone fairy, aren't you?" she said with a sparkle in her eye. "You should pay Link a visit. He is in desperate need of a fairy!"

"Speaking of Link, I'm looking for him. Do you know where he is?"

"Sadly, no I do not," said the girl.

"Well, could you give me some sort of hint as to what he looks like so that I could find him?"

"He's wearing green,"

Navi looked around. "You're all wearing green!"

"He's the one without a fairy,"

"I know that!"

"He lives in a tree,"

Navi looked around. They all lived in trees. "Thanks for the...uh...advice. I gotta go now. I'm kind of in a hurry!" She then flew off to continue her search. "She is such an idiot!" she said to herself, chuckling.

She would've asked Mido, the self-proclaimed boss of the Kokiri, but he had a nasty reputation for being mean to fairies. Hell, even his own fairy is terrified of him. She didn't want any trouble, so she decided against it. She then noticed a Kokiri boy with shaggy, orange hair who was throwing rocks. "Hey," she called to him, "have you seen Link? I'm looking for him,"

"He sleeps in late these days," replied the boy. "He's probably at his house at the top of a big tree. You can't miss it!"

"Okay, thanks," said Navi. She quickly spotted Link's house and headed for it at full speed. She didn't see the fence, however, until it was too late.

CRASH!

She smashed into the hard wood fence with an, "Ow!" She backed up and shook herself to get herself together. She then slowly went through one of the gaps in the fence and entered Link's home.

Link was curled up on his wooden bed. "Hey, wake up! The Deku Tree has summoned you!" she called to Link. However, he did not wake. "Hey, wake up, Sleepyhead! Can Hyrule really depend on such a lazy boy?" she said as she started bouncing around, making all kinds of noise.

Link sat up and stretched. He then turned to Navi, who had stopped bouncing around. "Hi, my name's Link," he said, a smile forming on his face. "What's your name?"

"My name is Navi the fairy, and I have come to be your guide," she replied.

"Yahoo!! I finally have a fairy!!" Link shouted, tears of happiness streaming down his face. He stood up on his bed and began jumping for joy. "Ya~hoo~~!!!" he cried out.

"Calm down, Link, or you'll get in trouble!" Navi squeaked. At this, Link sat down on his bed and seized shouting. "Good boy. Now, the Great Deku Tree has summoned you, so let's go!!"

"Are you sure he has summoned me?" Link asked with a sigh. "I mean, I'm not that special..."

"Don't say that, Link! Of course you're special!" said Navi reassuringly. "Everyone is special in some way. In the Deku Tree's eyes, every being is special, living or not!!"

"Okay, let's go then!" said Link with a new air of confidence, jumping to his feet. Link headed for his "door," which was merely a white fabric sheet hanging in front of a hole carved into the tree in which he lived in. Link pushed through it. Then, he held it open so that Navi could pass through it.

"Thank you," said Navi

"Your welcome, Navi," said Link with a smile. They were now atop a small balcony erected on the side of the tree. It had a wooden ladder at the edge of it that acted as an easy access to the ground below. The tree rested at the bottom of a hill that led to the rest of the village.

A young Kokiri girl came running down the hill. She had curly, bright green hairy and stunning brown eyes. She waved to Link, shouting, "Hey Link!" Link waved back, a wide grin forming on his face.

Link went quickly down the ladder to greet her, Navi following behind him. "Hi, Saria," he said happily.

"So I see you finally got a fairy! That's awesome!!" she said, grinning.

"Yeah, her name's Navi," he said. "I also got summoned by the Great Deku Tree himself!! Can you believe it?!"

"The Deku Tree really summoned you?! That's really good to hear, Link!" said Saria. "You'd better go and see him. I'll wait here," Link simply nodded and headed off for the Great Deku Tree.

Link suddenly fell backwards, landing flat on his behind. "What the hell?!" he asked no one in particular. He looked up to find Mido, a mischievous-looking Kokiri with spiky, orange hair and brown eyes. Freckles covered his face. "Aurgh! Why do you have to be so goddamn mean, Mido?! You are such an asshole!!"

"Well, if it isn't Mr. No Fairy'!" Mido laughed. "No no fairies' beyond this point!"

"You aren't gonna let him talk to you like that, are you, Link?" asked Navi, giving Mido a dirty look.

"Oh! I see you have a fairy now! Well, Mr. New Fairy', I am still not gonna let you pass!" said Mido, sneering. "Besides, what business would you have with the Great Deku Tree anyways?!"

"The Deku Tree has asked for my presence, so let us through, you stupid asshole!" Link shouted angrily.

"That's right, Mido, so let us through right now!" said Navi.

"Is that so?! Well, you at least need to equip yourself with a sword and shield," said Mido, "and to make things more...interesting, I'm gonna take it upon myself to hold onto your fairy for you til you get back!" Mido grinned and grabbed hold of Navi by her wings. "Plus, if you don't return soon, I'll crush your fairy! You got that?!"

"Dammit, Mido! I don't have time for your stupid games! I really need to see the Great Deku Tree!!" shouted Link.

"Then get your ass moving!!"

"But -"

"I'll have to agree with Mido on this one. I think you'll need a sword and shield for this," said Navi. "Now hurry!"

"I thought I was just gonna be speaking with the Great Deku Tree,"

"He said something about a journey of some sort,"

"Okay, then I'll get a sword, and a shield, too!" With that, Link headed off.

"I hope he makes it," said Navi quietly to herself.

Link had no idea where to get a sword or a shield. So, he returned to Saria for help. "Hey Saria!" he said when he got to her.

"Huh?" she said, spinning around. "Oh! Hey Link! What did the Deku Tree have to say?"

"Oh, I haven't been to see him yet, but Mido took Navi, my fairy, hostage! If I don't get a sword and a shield, he's gonna crush her!!" Link explained. "But I don't know where to get a sword or a shield though! I thought you might know,"

"Mido, that ass! He is so mean!!" growled Saria. "Anyways, I know where to get a shield, but not a sword. You should talk to the Know-it-all brothers about getting a sword. You can buy a shield at the shop though. You should head there!"

"Okay, I'll get right on it!" said Link. Link then turned in the direction of the Kokiri shop and, waving to Saria, headed straight for it.

Once Link got to the shop, he noticed a Kokiri girl with spiky, orange hair and blue eyes on top of the roof of the shop. It was Mindy, whom Link has secretly liked for awhile now. "Hey, Link!" she called down to him. "I can't get down! Think you could lend me a hand?"

"Sure! Jump down and I'll catch you," said Link, smiling.

"You mean it this time?" she asked.

"Yes, that I do," Link lied.

"Okay, here I go," She jumped, and with a crash, she landed on top of Link.

"Ow, my back!" Link wined, barely audible.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Link!" she said, getting off of him.

"It-it's okay," he said, getting to his feet and brushing himself off.

"So, why have you come to the shop?" she asked curiously.

"I've come to get a shield!" said Link.

"Why do you need a shield?" she asked. "Besides, they're really expensive!"

"I know, but the Great Deku Tree has summoned me, and Mido said if I don't get a sword and shield, then I can't pass!"

"You've been summoned by the Great Deku Tree?! Why?!"

"I dunno yet, but I bet it's important,"

"You'd better get a move on then!"

"Yeah, you're right!" Link then headed into the shop.

"What do ya need today, Link? Deku Stick? Some Deku Nuts perhaps?" asked Finwe, the shop owner.

"None of those; I need a shield, and a sword if you've got one," said Link.

"We don't carry swords, but I do have a Deku Shield. The last one in stock. I'll sell it to ya fer forty rupees,"

"I'll take it!" said Link as he took out his wallet. Sadly, there was not a single rupee in it. "Oh, sorry. I seem to have spent the last of my rupees," Link continued on to say to no one in particular, "Now how am I gonna get back to Mido with a sword and shield?!"

"Hang on! Did Mido send ya?" asked Finwe.

"Yeah,"

"Come closer, me boy!" said Finwe softly. Link did as he was told. "Okay, I can give ya a shield...if ya are on an errand fer Mido," Finwe whispered.

"I am," responded Link.

"Okay, here's yer shield," said Finwe as he handed Link the shield and made it appear as if Link were paying him. "Now go!"

"Okay, thanks for the shield," Link said as he left the shop.

"Come again!" called Finwe.

Link returned home. Setting the Deku Shield on his table, he said to himself, "Alright! I've got a shield! Now for a sword," He left his home and set off for the hill on which the Know-it-all brothers lived.

"Greetings, Link. What brings you to our humble abode?" said Reginald, one of the three Know-it-all brothers.

"I was wondering if any of you knew where I could find a sword," said Link.

"Yes, that we do," said Steven, the oldest of the Know-it-alls. "We shall take you to the Kokiri Sword!"

"You really know the location of the Kokiri Sword?!" asked Link, shocked.

"Yes, we do," said Reginald.

"I'm getting tired of waiting! Let's go!!" growled Eugene, the youngest of the Know-it-all brothers.

"Yes, let's go," agreed his brothers. They led Link to the entrance to a cave behind their home that was normally sealed.

"The Great Deku Tree added this door to prevent Mido, amongst others, from stealing the Kokiri Sword," Reginald explained. As they entered the cave, Eugene sealed the entrance behind them. They stopped. "Allow us to reveal our true names, for you are worthy of obtaining the Kokiri's greatest treasure! My name is Caranthir!" he said.

"I am called Finrod!" said Steven.

"And I am Elrohir!" said Eugene.

"And we are...the Elensar brothers!" they all said at once.

"We are the oldest living Kokiri in the village," said Caranthir.

"And the last of the true Kokiri," finished Finrod.

"Let's keep going," said Elrohir. They led Link to the end of the path. At the end was a large, wooden chest. They pushed Link forward. "Go ahead, Link. Open it!"

"But it's locked!" protested Link.

"No, it's not. Try to open it!" said Finrod.

"But -"

"Open it!!" shouted Elrohir.

"Fine," Link surrendered. Despite what Link had previously thought, the chest opened. Quite easily, too. Inside was a small but sharp sword with a black, jewel-encrusted hilt. Next to it was a simple blue sheath.

"That is the Kokiri Sword!" said Finrod.

"Please return it when you have finished with it," said Caranthir.

"We would deeply appreciate it," said Elrohir.

"I will!" said Link as he sheathed the sword on his back. He then left the cave and headed for his home. Once he had his shield, he headed straight for Mido.

"Link!!!" Navi cried happily as he reached her and Mido.

Mido tugged her closer. "Well, I still see no -" he began. "Wait, what is that? Is that...Is that the Kokiri Sword?!"

"It sure is!" said Link proudly.

"And what the hell is that?!" he demanded. "It's a Deku shield, isn't it?!"

"Yep!!"

"Aurgh!!! You may have gotten yourself a sword and a shield, but you're still a weakling! I shall never accept you as one of us!!" Mido spat.

"Good riddance," Link mumbled as he ran past Mido. With Navi following, he started down the path to the Great Deku Tree's meadow. Soon he could see the Great Deku Tree. However, just before he reached the meadow, a tall, withering, spiked plant rose out of the ground. It was a Deku Baba, and an old one at that.

"Hurry up, Link! Kill it!!" Navi squeaked.

"Right!" said Link, drawing his sword. He didn't even bother bringing out his shield. He rolled to the side, dodging the spikes on its stem, and clumsily cut it down. He then stood up and sheathed his sword.

"Not the best I've seen, but still decent," Navi complemented with a chuckle.

"Thanks," said Link, smirking. They then continued into the meadow. Lightly colored grass dotted the landscape around the Great Deku Tree. The Great Deku Tree himself was a gigantic tree with brightly-colored leaves. What appeared to be a face with what seemed to be a large mustache was halfway up the trunk.

"I'm back!" called Navi.

"Welcome, Link, Navi," said the Deku Tree calmly. "I see thou hast brought a sword and a shield,"

"Yes, that I have," replied Link.

"Link, I have terrible news... I have been cursed by a man of the desert in black armor... My end is nigh," He paused for a moment, breathing deeply. "I believe tis time for you to test thy courage. Are you ready, Link?"

"Yes,"

"Then enter, Link, and rid this curse from me," said the Deku Tree as a mouth opened wide that was once the front of the trunk.

"I shall do my best, oh Great Deku Tree," Link ran confidently into the Great Deku Tree, his sword and shield at the ready.

To be continued...


	2. Inside the Deku Tree

Title: The Legend of Zelda and the Hero of Time

Author: the ultimate SoBe Master

Chapter 2: Inside the Great Deku Tree

Email: Legend of Zelda

Inside the Deku Tree practically everything was made of thick wood. However, there was something you would not expect to see inside a tree: A humongous spider web covering the opening at the top of the trunk. There was also a hole in the middle of the floor, which was also covered with a thick, white, gooey spider web.

Creeping closer to the web, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, he peered down into the hole. It was a long way down to the bottom. The bottom of the hole appeared to be flooded.

Suddenly, a small flower near him sprang to life. It revealed itself as a young Deku Baba. Thinking quickly, Link drew his sword and his shield. "Ok, you stupid plant, you want some? Then bring it!" Link exclaimed, feeling the adrenaline pumping.

"Link, it's a younger Deku Baba than what we saw earlier! Wait until it strikes, then give it a good whack with your sword," Navi explained. "It'll stiffen out, and then you can cut its stem! Watch out though, for it has a venomous bite!"

"Got it! Thanks for the info, Navi!" Link replied. He then turned his attention to the Deku Baba. Putting up his shield, he readied himself for defense. The Deku Baba reared, ready to strike. It lashed forward. Link, however, rolled to the side and out of the way. With a quick sweep of his sword, he stunned the plant being. Then, with another slice of his sword, Link hacked down the Deku Baba. He then collected the Deku Stick that was left in its place.

"Good job, Link! Another one bites the dust!" Navi cheered.

Sheathing his sword and shield, Link spotted a wooden ladder to his left. He ran to it, Navi following, and climbed up it. Pulling himself up to the next level, Link unsheathed his sword and shield and started walking up the path. As he continued, he came to a gap. He backed up a bit, then ran at full speed and jumped across it. He just barely made it across.

Soon, he came to what appeared to be a sealed door. "What do I do now?" Link asked no one in particular.

"Press your hand against the door, Link," Navi answered. "The Deku Tree can feel you in here. I'm sure he would open a door for you if he felt your hand on a sealed door,"

"Ok, I'll give it a shot, Navi," replied Link. He then stepped up to the door and placed his hand flat against it. Suddenly, it rose up. "Wow, you were right, Navi!" Link exclaimed. He stepped into the next room, the door closing behind him.

The next room was a simple, small, rectangle room with a small, green fern in the middle of it. However, when Link took one step towards the other end of the room, a weird, plant monster that was about Link's size popped out of the fern. It looked like a green bush with eyes and a round, wooden mouth. "You're mine, plant!" Link shouted, crouching low and charging the plant monster, his sword at the ready. Just as he was about to strike, however, the plant thing fired a Deku Nut at him from its mouth. It then went back into the ground. The Deku Nut hit him, bursting and spraying shrapnel everywhere. A couple of the shards of shrapnel bounced off the walls and got lodged in Link's arm. Link winced in pain.

"Don't be so reckless, Link! That's a Deku Scrub," Navi informed. "It will spit Deku Nuts at you, as you probably have noticed. It will hide in the hole in the center of the plant that it lives in if you get close to it, so keep your distance if you wanna defeat it. Deflect the Deku Nuts it spits at you back at it with your shield! Once it gets hit by its own Deku Nut, it'll come out of the plant and attempt to escape! Strike it down with you sword before it manages to!"

"Thanks for the information, N-Navi!" Link replied, pulling the shards of Deku Nut out of his arm. A stream of blood began to flow down it. Link then jumped back a couple of feet. The Deku Scrub came back up and fired another nut at Link. Thinking quickly, Link put up his shield. The Deku Nut was deflected back at the Deku Scrub. When it hit the Scrub, the Scrub shrieked and popped out of its plant home. It then started hopping around at random, trying to stay as far away from Link as possible.

"Quick, before it has a chance to get back to the plant!" Navi warned.

"Right!" Readying his sword, Link charged the Deku Scrub and, with a slice of his sword, cut it down.

The Scrub fell to the ground with a thud. "Remember this, young Kokiri: One – three – two!" The Scrub stammered. It then shriveled up, turned brown, and crumbled.

"One…three…two…? What the hell does that mean?!" Link muttered. He then moved to the far side of the room and placed his palm against the door.

The next room was a larger room with a ledge in the wall on both sides of the room. On the far side of the room was a large, ancient-looking, wooden chest covered in green vines. In between the two ledges that seemed to be carved into the wall was a deep gap. There was no visible way to get up to the ledges from the bottom of the gap.

In between the ledges was also a floating, unstable-looking, stone platform. It looked to be the only way to the other end of the room. Link ran and jumped to the platform. It began to shake when Link landed on it. Quickly, Link jumped to the ledge on the far end of the room. When he landed, he turned just in time to see the platform crumble. "That was close…" Link muttered.

He then turned to the chest. He unsheathed his sword and cut the vines away from the chest. Sheathing his sword, he then pulled open the chest. Inside was a sack that appeared to be made from some kind of animal skin. There was also a wooden slingshot with a sling that looked like it was made from some sort of flexible vine. "Wow! That's really rare, Link! You know what that is?!" Navi exclaimed. "It's a Fairy Slingshot! You don't come by one of these very often! By the way, what's in the sack?"

Link peered into the sack. Inside were dozens upon dozens of small, golden seeds. "I know what these are! They're Deku Seeds!"

"I see. You can use those as ammunition for your slingshot!" Navi replied.

"Good idea, Navi!" Link stated. Slipping the Fairy Slingshot and the sack filled with Deku Seeds in between his belt and his tunic, he turned to face the entrance on the other end of the room.

Suddenly having an idea, he peered up above the ledge at what appeared to be an old, wooden ladder. Taking out his slingshot, he took a seed from the sack and readied it. Taking aim, he shot the seed. It was a direct hit. The ladder fell right in front of the ledge and fell flat against the wall. "Yes!" Link exclaimed, jumping down to the ground below. He moved to the ladder and climbed up it.

"Nice going, Link!" Navi congratulated.

"Thanks, Navi," Link replied.

Once back in the center chamber, Link looked up. "Still one more level to go…" He mumbled.

"Link, I think we passed some vines you can climb on our way up here!" Navi suggested.

"Yeah, we did!" Link agreed. They started back down the path. Soon after, they came to some vines on the wall. "What the heck are those?" Link asked, pointing at the three spider-like creatures on the wall.

"Those are Wall Skultulas – one of the three species of Skultula found throughout Hyrule," Navi explained. "They are all identifiable by the white, skull-like marking on their backs. Wall Skultulas are the weakest species of Skultula. Simply get them off the wall and they shrivel up and die. For some unknown reason if they are separated from the special silk that holds them to the walls, they die…one of the theories is that it provides them with nutrients vital to life itself…"

"Ok, how hard is it to get them off the wall?"

"Not hard…a shot from your slingshot will probably do,"

"Ok, good!" Link readied his slingshot. He then took aim and fired. He got a direct hit. The Wall Skultula fell from the wall and shriveled up, lifeless. "One down, two to go!" Link readied, aimed, and fired at the second Skultula. It fell from the wall and died just like the first one "Now, one more!" Link readied another Deku Seed. The last one was higher up than the other two had been, so Link moved back a bit, nearly falling off the edge. He fired and just barely nicked it. Just like the other two, it fell off the wall and died.

Grabbing hold of the vines on the right end of the patch of vines covering that area of the wall, Link began to climb. Once at the top, he moved over a bit until he was over land and dropped down. There was a door near where he was. Link went up to it and put his hand upon it.

The next room was similar to the one he got his slingshot from, only this room only had one ledge: the one he was on. Curiosity getting the best of him, Link jumped down to the bottom of the gap. Just as he landed, four spider-like creatures that were a little bit bigger than Link dropped down from the ceiling and started moving from side to side, preparing to strike.

"Link, those are normal Skultulas. Simply hack 'em up with your sword!" Navi stated.

"Ok, no problem!" Link exclaimed. Suddenly, one of the Skultulas launched at him. Readying his sword, Link sidestepped and sliced the Skultula in half. Two more lashed out at him. Link performed a spin attack to defeat them. "Yes! Sliced and diced 'em!" Link exclaimed, grinning. He then charged the last remaining Skultula. Before it could strike, Link struck it down, splattering its guts everywhere.

"Very good, Link! I think you're starting to get the hang of this!" Navi exclaimed.

"Thanks, Navi!" Link replied. 'That was simply a trap! Damn!' He thought. With that, they headed back to the center chamber. As they entered the chamber, a large Skultula dropped down on a strand of silk.

"That's a Big Skultula, the largest and strongest of Skultulas! Aim for its soft underbelly to beat it!" Navi explained.

"Thanks for the tip, Navi," Link replied. He then put up his shield and faced the Skultula. It swung itself at Link. Link sidestepped it and just as it passed, he thrust his sword through the spider's belly. The Big Skultula fell from its strand onto its back. "Such a weak adversary!" Link muttered. He then leapt off the edge, completely forgetting about the hole in the center of the ground floor.

Once in the air, he then remembered the hole. He tried to scream, but no sound escaped him. When he hit the web, he broke through and continued to fall. When he got to the bottom, he came into an open room with a low ceiling. He splashed into a shallow pool of water. He was surprised to learn that it wasn't flooded like he previously thought.

There were two sections of raised land: on the right side of the room and the entire far end. Link climbed up onto the lower raised ground, which was the patch of it on the right side of the room. He then began thinking of a way to the other side.

Suddenly, he got an idea. Unsheathing his sword, he tossed it at the side of the raised ground on the far side of the room like a spear. It stuck in the ledge. Link then ran towards the edge of the ledge and jumped, strategically landing on his sword. Using the sword like a spring board, he jumped onto the ledge and then reached down and pulled his sword out.

Just as he stood up, he saw a large Deku Baba reveal itself next to him, and it was about to strike. Just as it struck, he rolled to the side and struck it in the head. Now angry, the Deku Baba reared back and struck again. Link just barely dodged it and struck it again in the head. Its head ruptured, and a thick, green liquid sprayed out. A little got on Link's face. "Yuck!" He exclaimed, wiping it off with his hand.

Link then noticed that there was another hole in the floor with a spider web covering it. He cut it with his sword and hopped in. He soon splashed down into a small pool. He was at the bottom of a shallow hill. He saw three Deku Scrubs at the top. He quickly made his way to dry land.

"I get now what that other Deku Scrub meant about one, three, and two earlier!" Link muttered as he readied his shield. A Deku Nut suddenly flew at him. He turned to his left and deflected it back. Upon impact, the Scrub was stunned. However, two other Deku Nuts slammed into him. Quickly turning to the Scrub on the right just as it had fired another nut. He deflected it back at the Scrub. Now only one remained active. Link quickly repeated the process.

When the Deku Nut made contact with the last Scrub, it popped out of the ground. However, unlike the Scrub from earlier, this one was not hopping around. It was perfectly still. The other two Deku Scrubs burst into flames. When the flames extinguished, there were only ashes left.

Link slowly approached the Scrub. When he was nearly face to face with it, it spoke, "I see our idiot brother blabbed our secret when you killed him. I congratulate you for succeeding in our puzzle. Now, if you wish to face our Queen Gohma, then kill me, for I am the key to her chamber!" Without hesitation, Link sliced through the Scrub. It then burst into flames.

When the flames extinguished, a large, stone door opened in front of Link. He slowly entered. When he did, the door slammed shut behind him. Keeping his sword and shield at the ready, he entered the chamber. He looked up to the center of the ceiling to glimpse a large, yellow eye. Suddenly, a large, black, scorpion-like creature dropped from the ceiling.

"Oh my god! It's Queen Gohma herself! So, she's been destroying the Deku Tree! Kill her, Link! Do it for the Deku Tree!!" Navi exclaimed angrily.

"Don't worry, I will!" Link replied.

"You have to shoot it in the eye with your slingshot before you can do any damage!"

"Right!" Link sheathed his sword and shield and pulled out his slingshot. He then readied a seed. Gohma suddenly started moving slowly towards Link.

"Link, don't forget that you can only shoot her in the eye when it is red!"

"Ok, got it!" Link waited for Gohma to get closer. Suddenly, she reared up and her eye turned red and got wide. "Now!" Link said to himself, firing the Deku Seed at Gohma's eye.

Suddenly, Gohma shrieked, and her eye widened even further and turned green. "Attack the eye, Link!" Navi shouted.

"Right!" Link started slashing his sword against Gohma's eye as fast as he could. He could tell he was doing damage, for blood was dripping down her eye. Suddenly, her eye changed back to red, and she knocked Link to the side with one of her club-like arms. She then climbed back onto the ceiling. Once she was back in the middle, she lowered her tail, and seven red and white spotted eggs were forced out.

"Quick, destroy the eggs before they hatch!" Navi exclaimed. Link launched forward and took out four of the eggs in one sweep. He then crushed another. However, the two remaining eggs hatched. They were Gohma larvae.

One of the larvae jumped onto Link, knocking him over. It then used its sharp front limbs to slash Link's left arm, making a deep cut in it. Link winced in pain. Angered, Link used his shield to bat the Gohma larva off of him. While it was in the air, Link sliced it in half with his sword.

Just as he was getting up, the other larva slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. Link saw that its eye was bright red. It was about to pounce. Just as it did, Link stabbed the larva in the eye, blinding it. It screamed in pain. Taking the opportunity, Link got to his feet and thrust his sword through the larva's back. He then shook it off his sword.

Link just barely was able to roll out of the way as Gohma dropped down from the ceiling again. He could tell that it was pissed off. Her eye immediately turned red and she charged, her arm ready to slam into Link. Link quickly readied his slingshot. He shot a seed three different times, yet she was able to dodge. Just as she was about to reach Link, he shot a fourth see, and this time it was a direct hit. Her eye once again turned green. Instead of hacking up her eye, he stabbed her right through the pupil. She shrieked in pain, and she started to incinerate in blue flame until there was nothing left of Queen Gohma.

Suddenly, Link was transported out of the Deku Tree. He appeared in front of him. "Well done, Link, Navi," The Deku Tree said. "Your efforts were truly great, but alas, my end has not been halted. I will still die. However, before I die, I must give you this. It is the Kokiri's most prized possession: The Kokiri's Emerald!" The Deku Tree reached up into its higher branches with one of its lower ones. It then lowered a small, round, green emerald surrounded almost completely with gold.

"Thank you, Great Deku Tree!" Link exclaimed.

"The man of the desert who cast this terrible curse over me wanted that. He threatened me with this curse, but I simply could not allow such an evil man to have it," The Deku Tree said. "Now, thou is familiar with the story of how this world came to be, are you not?"

"N-no sir…" Link replied, blushing slightly.

"Very well, then I shall pass the knowledge to you…" The Deku Tree began. "Long ago, three goddesses came to this planet: One called Din, one called Farore, and one called Nayru. Din, with her majestic fires, cultivated the red earth that would be the world; Farore, with her grace, formed law that would harmonize the land; and Nayru, with her great courage and love, created life that would uphold this law. When they left to return to the Heavens, it is believed that they left three gold triangles in the spot of their return. That is believed to be the Sacred Realm. The Sacred Realm is aid to be protected by the Temple of Time, built by the Ancient Sages to protect the Sacred Realm.

Now, Link, it is time that thou begins your quest, for one day, you will save us all! You are to go to a Hyrule Castle. There you will find the Princess of Destiny. Now go!" The Great Deku Tree finished. Suddenly, the bushes and flowers that surrounded the Great Deku Tree began to blacken and die. The Deku Tree started to turn a dark shade of grayish red, and that was that. He was gone. He was dead. The Great Deku Tree had died. No longer did the Kokiri have a protector to watch over them.

Link and Navi made their way to the top of the hill, then stopped. They turned to look at the Deku Tree one last time. "Goodbye…Great Deku Tree…old friend…" Navi said. They then turned and started along the path back to the village.

When they got to the entrance to the village, Mido was blocking their path. "What did you do?! What did you do to the Great Deku Tree?!!" He demanded.

"Out of my way, Mido…!" Link scowled, pushing past him.

He began to walk away, when Mido grabbed his tunic. "Hey, I –"

"Back off, Mido…" Link warned fiercely. His hand was gripping his sword hilt tightly.

"Hey, I asked you a –"

"I said back off!" Link shouted, drawing his sword and pointing the end at Mido's throat. "Now I suggest you let go of my tunic, Mido, if you know what's good for you!" Mido froze. All he could do was nod his head slowly and remove his hand from Link's tunic. "That's better, Mido," With that, Link sheathed his sword and continued towards his house. He went there and got his wallet, then jumped down to the ground and started for the exit at a run.

When he got there, he was surprised that Saria still hadn't shown up to say goodbye. He continued to ponder this as he stepped onto the wooden bridge that would lead to the exit. He was just about there, when he noticed Saria standing about halfway from the exit on the side of the bridge. "Saria!" Link blurted out.

"So, you're really leaving?" She asked.

"Yeah, I am…" Link said.

"Well, I guess I kind of always knew you would leave one day…I just didn't wanna believe it…" Saria said sadly. She then held out her hand. She was holding a cream colored ocarina. "Take this,"

"What is it?" Link asked.

"It's a Fairy Ocarina. My mom gave it to me before she died. I now am giving it to you. Whenever you play that ocarina, always remember me…"

Link simply nodded. He walked over to her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you for being my friend…" He whispered. He then let go. He backed up two steps, then turned and ran.

"I will always be your friend, Link…remember that…" Saria whispered.

A/N: Well, what'd ya think?! I know its been awhile, but at least I haven't forgotten about it…anyway, please R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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